because the gentleman could hear him (for he certainly could not), but as an appropriate accompaniment to his salutation.
"I have no doubt, my dears," said Mr. Pecksniff, feigning to point out other beauties with his hand, "that that is the proprietor. I should be glad to know him. It might lead to something. Is he looking this way, Charity?"
"He is opening the window, pa!"
"Ha, ha!" cried Mr. Pecksniff, softly. "All right! He has found I'm professional. He heard me inside just now, I have no doubt. Don't look! With regard to the fluted pillars in the portico, my dears—"
"Hallo!" cried the gentleman.
"Sir, your servant!" said Mr. Pecksniff, taking off his hat: "I am proud to make your acquaintance."
"Come off the grass, will you!" roared the gentleman.
"I beg your pardon, sir," said Mr. Pecksniff, doubtful of his having heard aright. "Did you—?"
"Come off the grass!" repeated the gentleman, warmly.
"We are unwilling to intrude, sir," Mr. Pecksniff smilingly began.
"But you are intruding," returned the other, "unwarrantably intruding—trespassing. You see a gravel walk, don't you? What do you think it's meant for? Open the gate there! Show that party out!"
With that, he clapped down the window again, and disappeared.
Mr. Pecksniff put on his hat, and walked with great deliberation and in profound silence to the fly, gazing at the clouds as he went, with great interest. After helping his daughters and Mrs. Todgers into that conveyance, he stood looking at it for some moments, as if he were not quite certain whether it was a carriage or a temple; but, having settled this point in his mind, he got into his place, spread his hands out on his knees, and smiled upon the three beholders.
But his daughters, less tranquil-minded, burst into a torrent of indignation. This came, they said, of cherishing such creatures as the Pinches. This came of lowering themselves to their level. This came of putting themselves in the humiliating position of seeming to know such bold, audacious, cunning, dreadful girls as that. They had expected this. They had predicted it to Mrs. Todgers, as she (Todgers) could depone, that very morning. To this they added, that the owner of the house, supposing them to be Miss Pinch's friends, had acted, in their opinion, quite correctly, and had done no more than, under such circumstances, might reasonably have been expected. To that they added (with a trifling inconsistency), that he was a brute and a bear; and then they merged into a flood of tears, which swept away all wandering epithets before it.
Perhaps Miss Pinch was scarcely so much to blame in the matter as the Seraph, who, immediately on the withdrawal of the visitors, had hastened to report them at head-quarters, with a full account of their having presumptuously charged her with the delivery of a message afterwards consigned to the footman; which outrage, taken in conjunction with Mr. Pecksniff's unobtrusive remarks on the establishment, might possibly have had some share in their dismissal. Poor Miss Pinch, however, had to bear the brunt of it with both parties: being so severely
